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Intro to World Religions
N/A
146
Religious Studies
Undergraduate 1
04/26/2012

Additional Religious Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Fundamentalism
Definition
reject important aspects of modernity and want to go back to what they perceive as the purity of an "authentic" social/political order manifested in the sacred way of life of their ancestors
Term
Globalization
Definition
idea that all the worlds religions have members in every country or society
Term
Heretic
Definition
"to choose", one who is not simply born into a given religion or identity but must choose it, evenif it is only to choose to retain the identity offered by the circumstances of his or her birth
Term
Syncretism
Definition
the weaving together of alien and indigenous religious beliefs and practices; or the combining of elements from different practices to create a new religion
Term
Shamanism
Definition
a religion of Northern Asia in which shamans are believed to be able to intercede between humanity and good and evil spirits
Term
Wicca
Definition
a religious practice involving nature-worship and witchraft
Term
Nichiren
Definition
a Buddhist monk who is founder of Nichiren Buddhism. He sought to reform Buddhism in Japan and that the Lotus Sutra is only true Buddhist text
Term
Vipassana Meditation
Definition
(mindfulness meditation)-careful attending to or being mindful of the three characteristics of existential reality(suffering, impermanence, and nonself)
Term
Bodh Gaya
Definition
location of Guatama Siddhartha's attainment of Enlightenment, one of four pilgrammage sites for Buddha
Term
Protestant Buddhism
Definition
a term signifying a pattern of reform in which Buddhists protested colonial rule yet adopted perspectives and missionary techniques of Protestant Christianity
Term
Falun Gong
Definition
"Law wheel practice", spiritual discipline introduced in China in 1992
Term
"New age religions"
Definition
religions that emerge by breaking with traditional beliefs and practices, typically through the influence of other religious practices around the globe due to the influence of global media and global travel
Term
Mao Zedong
Definition
chairman of Communist Party of China, Four Greats(Great Teacher, Great Leader, Great Commander, Great Helmsman)
Term
Mizuko cult
Definition
a new form of Kannon devotionalism in Japan organized to seek the forgiveness of the spirits of aborted fetuses, until they fulfill their destiny and continue on to another human rebirth
Term
Soka Gakkai
Definition
Nichiren Buddhist offshoot, now global religion seeking world peace through Mahayana Buddhist teachings
Term
Confucius
Definition
given name of sage to whom Catholic missionaries later gave the Latinate name Confucius
Term
Shang-di
Definition
Heavenly Lord, thought to preside over early Chinese pantheon, term Christians used as translation for God
Term
Tu-di gong
Definition
the cult of Tu-di Gong, the "earth ruler" who controls fertility, widespread among farmers in China during the millenium from the Zhou dynasty until the fall of Han
Term
Tian-di
Definition
a supreme overlord believed to keep records on each individual soul, according to texts found in Han-era tombs in China
Term
Dao
Definition
mysterious power that moves the universe and all beings
Term
Ren
Definition
Confucian ideal of being "fully human" in ethics, manners and cultivation
Term
Li
Definition
in Confucian thought, individual performances needed for personal development, including manners, service to others, and rituals
Term
Xiao
Definition
Confucian ideal of children honoring their parents, attitude that extends to the ruler
Term
Lao Zi (Lao Tzu)
Definition
"Old Sage, reputed author of Daodejing and founder of Daoism
Term
Analects
Definition
collection of sayings attributed to Confucius
Term
Mencius
Definition
first major disciple of Master K'ung; a systematizer of Confucian ideals who lived 371-289 BCE
Term
Ling
Definition
spiritual force possessed by geographic places, such as rivers, mountains, caves, as well as by deities and charismatic sages
Term
Zhuang Zi
Definition
second great Daoist classic
Term
Qi
Definition
vital force of life within individuals and in nature
Term
Qi gong
Definition
discipline of cultivating the vital individual life force that can be used for worldly goals such as healing or to reach immortality
Term
wu-wei
Definition
"noninterference" or "non forced action"--an ideal in Daoism
Term
Five Classics
Definition
Confucian canan attributed to Master K'ung (Book of Changes, Book of Documents, Book of Poetry, and Book of Rites, and a historical work that uses events in the early Chinese state to show how to assess praise and blame
Term
Shinto
Definition
indigenous religion of Japan that reveres the deities of the islands, including the emperor
Term
kami
Definition
deity of Japan associated with places, certain animals, and the emperor
Term
Zhu Xi
Definition
great Chinese master of neo-Confucianism though who integrated into Confucianism elements of Buddhism and Daoism and established core rituals of subsequent tradition
Term
neo-Confucianism
Definition
tradition originating in the Song dynasty and developed subsequently by masters such as Zhu Xi who sought to harmonize early Confucian humanism with more cosmological theories of Daoism and karma doctrine of Buddhism, adopting meditation techniques from both
Term
mappo
Definition
Buddhist doctrine of the world in decline, especially that human cannot pracitce meditation as well as in the time of the Buddha
Term
Neo-Shintoism (state Shinto)
Definition
Meiji's state's adoption of Shinto as state religion, with emperor as focal divinity, which lasted from 1868 to 1945
Term
Taiping Rebeliion
Definition
19th century revolt in China led by converts to Christianity, who established a separate state in the city of Nanjing, resulting vivil war was bloodiest in world history
Term
Tenrikyo (Religion of Heavenly Wisdom)
Definition
founded by Nakayma Miki and became a recognized Shinto sect in 1838; essential for salvation are a dance ritual, and intitiation, and performance of daily social service for others
Term
Guan Yu
Definition
Chinese god of war, regarded as protector of merchants
Term
Qing-Ming
Definition
yearly spring festival when Chinese visit and clean family graves and then feast after making offering to the ancestors
Term
diffuse religion
Definition
spiritual traditin centered on family and locality, informed by common ideas from Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism
Term
kitchen god (Zao Wangye)
Definition
deity residing in every household, thought to observe and report on family events to his celestial superiors yearly
Term
Literati
Definition
culture of literate elite informed by Confucius and his disciples, who mastered the classics and rituals
Term
de
Definition
mysterious and spontaneous energy of the universe
Term
Philosophical Daoism
Definition
Chinese tradition advocating the way to harmony for individual and society based on understanding natural forces and flowing with life naturally
Term
Religious Daoism
Definition
Chinese tradition that cultivates individual immortality through either alchemical infusions or meditative practices
Term
Orthodoxy
Definition
acceptance of "right beliefs" or "doctrines" based on sacred texts as formulated by religious authorities
Term
Orthopraxy
Definition
the practice of "right actions" or rituals as prescribed by sacred traditions
Term
Animism
Definition
religios tradition whose basic perception entails belief in an inner soul that gives life and ultimate identity to humans, animals, and plants and that places primary emphasis on experimental rituals in which humans interact with other souls
Term
Cosmogony
Definition
mythological account of the creation
Term
Ghost Dance
Definition
a shaman-led nationwide movement aimed at reviving the indigenous nations of North America; ended in 1890 when US massacred 300 people at Wounded Knee
Term
Native American Church
Definition
a "pan-american" movement among American Native peoples that has factions related in varying ways to Christianity but that are united in their ceremonial use of the cactus peyote as the group's own communal sacrament
Term
Tutelary Spirit
Definition
a supernatural agent, often an ancestral spirit, whose help is required by a shaman to perform the difficult soul journeys, negotiate with evil spirits, compel a soul to return, or increase shaman's healing power
Term
white shamans
Definition
westerners who create global organizations propagating a purported "universal" shamanic tradition, charging high fees for tours, courses, initiations, and healing services, some pledging to use some of the proceeds to assist indigenous shamans
Term
Hasidism
Definition
a form of Judaism emerging in the 18th century, focused on piety and joy, with strong roots in Jewish mysticism
Term
Shema
Definition
the essential declaration of monotheistic faith as found in Judaism:"Hear o Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One"
Term
Zionism
Definition
the desire to return to the land of Israel as a homeland; in modern times, the secular movement started by Theodor Herzl that led to the formation of the state of Israel
Term
Talmud
Definition
the oral Torah, recorded in the Mishnah, and the commentary on the Mishnah called the Gemara, there are two Talmuds:the Bavli and the Yerushalmi; the former is considered the more comprehensive and authoritative
Term
Diaspora
Definition
the dispersion of a religious people outside their geographic homeland, where they must live as a minority among others
Term
Totem
Definition
symbol taken from the natural world that stands for a social group possesing a common origin and essence
Term
myth of nature
Definition
earliest religious stories found everywhere
Term
myth of harmony
Definition
China and the the great cosmic story that emerged was that of the Dao
Term
myth of history
Definition
middle east and history that comprises the realm of human experience, instead of telling stories, make the "story" itself the central metaphor of religious experession
Term
Rabbinic Judaism
Definition
a rabbi is a teacher: the name came to designate the Judaism of the dual Torah created by the Pharisees, which came to be normative in the premodern period
Term
Reform Judaism
Definition
branch of Judaism that seeks to adapt religious practice to modern times and rejects that Moses was literally given the Torah by God
Term
Theodore Herzl
Definition
Austrian Jewish journalist who is founder of modern Zionism
Term
Wailing Wall (Western Wall)
Definition
retaining wall from Second Temple which was destroyed by Romans,
Term
Augustine
Definition
separation of church and state in which the state is answerable to the church in religious matters while the church is answerable to the state in secular matters yet both exist to promote the spread of the Gospel
Term
Constantine
Definition
unity of church and state, 1st christian Roman emperor who believed the state exists to rule over and protect the church as official religion of empire
Term
Pentecostal
Definition
refers to churches that emphasize possession by the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues
Term
Deism
Definition
Elightenment view that God created the world the way a watchmaker creates a clock and leaves it to run on its own without interference
Term
Homoousious
Definition
first term was used to assert that the Word of God through which all things were created is "the same as" God; second term was used to assert that this Word was "like God"
Term
Ummah
Definition
Muslim community of believers
Term
caliph
Definition
successor of Muhammed as the political and military head of the Muslim community
Term
hadith
Definition
narrative report of Muhammed's sayings and actions
Term
tahwid
Definition
oneness, unity, and uniqueness of God; absolute monotheism
Term
ijma
Definition
consensus; in Islamic law, refers to agreement of scholars on interpretation of legal questions; some have reinterpreted this principle to justify the right of a parliament to enact legislation
Term
hajj
Definition
annual pilgrimage to Mecca; all Muslims should make the hajj at least once in their lifetime, but it is recognized that individual circumstances may make compliance impossible
Term
salat
Definition
official prayer or worship performed five times each day
Term
zakat
Definition
almsgiving, one of the Five Pillars of Islam: 2.5 percent tithe on one's net worth to help the poor is required of all Muslims
Term
sharia
Definition
Islamic law; straight path
Term
shahadah
Definition
declaration of faith, witness, testimony; refers to the declaration of Muslim faith: "There is no god but God and Muhammed is his messenger"
Term
moksha
Definition
"release" from samsara, freedom from future rebirth and redeath
Term
puja
Definition
a ritual offering to a Hindu or bohisattva deity, budda, or bodhisattva
Term
samsara
Definition
"the world" of rebirth subject to the law of karma and the inevitable reality of death, a religious understanding shared by Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism
Term
Brahman
Definition
world spirit that arises at creation, which Hindus hold is either in impersonal form, nirguna Brahman, or human form, saguna Brahman
Term
Atman
Definition
in Hindu thought, the sould that resides in the heart, is the source of both life energy and spiritual awareness, and transmigrates after death
Term
karma
Definition
literally "action" but also meaning the effects of actions that, through a hidden natural casuality, condition a being's future; Hindus fix karma as acting on the inborn soul, Buddhists define its effects on the consciousness and habits
Term
Four Noble Truths
Definition
a doctrinal formula focusing on diagnosing the human condition as marked by suffering and distorted by desire and then prescribing the Eightfold Path as a solution
Term
stupa
Definition
the distinctive Buddhist shrine, a raised mound surmounted by a cermonial pole and umbrella; contains the relics of a Buddha or enlightened saint, either the literal bodily relics or other items left behingd, such as words in textual form or clothing items worn
Term
nirvana
Definition
a blissful state achieved by individuals who have cut off their karma by ending desire, attachment, and ignorance; after death, they enter the final transpersonal state for eternity, free from future rebirth
Term
Zen
Definition
the Japanese Mahayana Buddhist school focused on mediation practice, as transmitted from and organized in China as the Ch'an
Term
Pure Land
Definition
In Mayahana Buddhism, the belief that Buddhas and advanced bohisattvas can through their inexhaustible merit create rebirth realms where humans can easily engage in Buddhist practices conducive to enlightenment
Term
shramana
Definition
wandering ascetics known at the time of the Buddha
Term
Theravada
Definition
traditionalists, the last surviving Buddhist school of elders that is now dominant in South and Southeast Asia
Term
Mahayana
Definition
the "Great Vehicle" that was the dominant school of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia; the Mahayana philosophical schools developed cosmological theories of Buddhahood and envisioned the universe as permeated by bodhisattvas, some of whom were like deities and the focus of ritual veneration
Term
Dharma
Definition
the Buddha's teaching, one of the three refuges; more broadly, the truth at the center of Buddhism, the basis for realizing enlightenment
Term
ancestor veneration
Definition
worship, feeding, and petitioning of the souls of dead ancestors at family graves, temples or home altars
Term
Kim Jong Il
Definition
a Korean politican who was official Head of State
Term
Kannona
Definition
Japanese form of the name Bodhisattva
Term
Cultural Revolution
Definition
political and cultural reform in China in 1960's, aimed at restoring principles associated with Mao Zedong
Term
Thich Nhat Hanh
Definition
Vietamnese Buddhist monk who now lives in France bc he was exiled, zen monk,
Term
Pyongyang
Definition
capital of North Korea
Term
divination
Definition
practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowlege by occult or supernatural means
Term
yin-yang theory
Definition
describes how opposites are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world
Term
alchemy
Definition
tranforming or enchanting power
Term
Prince Shotoku
Definition
reason that Buddhism became the state religion because use to be just for elite
Term
Amaterasu
Definition
deity of the sun and most important deity of the Shinto. Claimed to be ancestor of Japanese imperial family
Term
Five Relationships of Confucianism
Definition
Father to Son, Elder Brother to Junior Brother, Husband to Wife, Friend to Friend, Ruler to Subject
Term
sheng-ren
Definition
an infected person
Term
Six Arts of Confucian education
Definition
Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, Mathematics= a perfect gentleman
Term
Shinshoku
Definition
Shinto priests
Term
mandate of heaven
Definition
a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source
Term
kowtow
Definition
in China, to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground to show respect
Term
Jinja
Definition
a town in Uganda of the shore of Lake Victoria
Term
Japanese New Year rituals
Definition
striking of end of year bell,
Term
Feng shui
Definition
a Chinese system that studies people's relationships to their enviroment in order to achieve maximum harmoney with the spiritual forces believed to influence all spaces
Term
Communism
Definition
political system in which all property and wealth is owned in a classless society by all members of the society
Term
Li Hongzhi
Definition
founder and spiritual master of Falun Gong
Term
Daruma-san
Definition
Japanese name for the monk Bodhidharma who brought a meditation-centerd Buddhist tradition to China, which would be called Zen in Japan
Term
Aum Shinrikyo
Definition
a syncretistic Japanese cult combining elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity, also known as Supreme Truth Cult
Term
Won Buddhism
Definition
a new Korean school of Buddhism; it ritualizes worship of a picture of a black circle in a white blackground symbolizing the cosmic body of Buddha
Term
mudang
Definition
Korean shaman
Term
Scientology
Definition
a nondenominational movement founded in US which emphasizes self knowledge as a means of realizing full spiritual potential
Term
Nation of Islam
Definition
new religious movement founded in Detroit, to improve the spirtiual, mental, economic, and social conditions of African Americans
Term
Millenialism
Definition
Christianity where there will be a period of paradise on Earth
Term
Apocalypticism
Definition
worldview based on idea that important matters are hidden from view and will soon be released in a major way that will change course of history
Term
Asahara
Definition
founder of Japanese Buddhist group Aleph
Term
Tiananmen Square
Definition
a large central square in Beijing that is a traditional site for festivals, rallies, and deomonstrations
Term
Juche
Definition
political thesis of Kim-Il Sung which says that Korean masses are the master's of country's development
Term
Kokiji
Definition
"Record of the Ancient Matters", a product of the commands of Japanese emperor Temmu
Term
Nihon Shoki
Definition
2nd oldest history book about ancient history of Japan
Term
Warring States Period
Definition
China, a period where small feuding kingdoms struggled for supremacy, age of Confucian thinkers and time when many institutions were established
Term
Xunzi
Definition
Chinese scholar and philosopher, taught that humanity is evil and nature can only be good through rigorous training
Term
Daodejing
Definition
classic text of chinese philosophy, presents a way of life intended to restore harmony and tranquility to a kingdom racked by disorder, promotes a course of nonaction
Term
holistic medicine
Definition
an approach to medical care that emphasizes the study of all aspects of a person's health including physical, physcological, social, economic, and cultural factors
Term
Council of Nicaea
Definition
Arianism was denounced and Nicene Creed was formulated
Term
Gospel of Thomas
Definition
a collections of sayings attributed to the "living" Jesus
Term
Paul of Tarsus
Definition
most important disciple of Jesus, did much to advance Christianity among gentiles
Term
Protestant Reformation
Definition
a movement which was an attempt to reform the Catholic church but ended in division and establishment of new institutions
Term
Parousia
Definition
"presence of Christ" another term for Second Coming
Term
Trimurti
Definition
in Hinduism, a trinity consisting of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer
Term
Siddhartha
Definition
personal name of Buddha
Term
Tantra
Definition
in Hinduism, any of several books regarding rituals, disciplines, meditation composed in the form of dialogues between Shiva and Agama
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